


that’s how it works (that’s how you get the girl)

by becasbelt



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: AU, F/F, Fluff, Just a dash of angst, Swift Perfect Week 2020, but it's definitely not an angsty story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24184054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/becasbelt/pseuds/becasbelt
Summary: When Beca's best friend Tom falls in love with the pretty redhead in his psychology class, he enlists in Beca's assistance to help him get the girl. Only problem is, they might have misjudged exactly who this girl seems to be falling for.
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 46
Kudos: 419
Collections: Finishedstoriesmine





	that’s how it works (that’s how you get the girl)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Swift Perfect week! This is my lil contribution to all the amazing content that has been shared so far, based on one of my favorite songs from my FAVORITE T-Swift album. Also partially inspired by "The Half of It," but more so just the basic idea of it rather than anything that actually happens in the movie (which is spectacular, btw).
> 
> Enjoy!

“I need your help with something.”

Beca doesn’t look up from her laptop as Tom walks up to her in the library. “No.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask you,” Tom points out as he plops down at the table next to Beca.

“Don’t have to, it’s still no.”

“Will you at least listen to what I was going to ask?”

Beca finally looks up at him. “Every time you ask me to ‘help’ you with something it always ends up biting me in the ass eventually, so I don’t feel super inclined to listen to any more of your dumb plans.”

And it’s true: Tom did have a tendency of getting Beca into trouble. Ever since they were in high school together, Beca has always stupidly gone along with all of Tom’s plans, only for things to blow up spectacularly in her face. Like that time he wanted to steal one of the frogs from the aquarium in Mr. Lancey’s science class, only for Beca to end up drenched in water and in detention for killing a dozen innocent fish. Or like that time they tried weed for the first time and Beca ended up coming out to her father while she was stoned. Or like when Tom convinced Beca to go to college with him.

The college thing hadn’t really had any major repercussions so far, but Beca still wasn’t exactly thrilled about it.

The point is, Tom’s plans sucked.

And it’s not like Tom ever means for things to go wrong. He was genuinely one of the kindest and most thoughtful people that Beca knew, which was why she was still friends with him after all these years. Tom just… Tom just had a terrible case of ‘dumb jock energy’ and didn’t always think things through all the way.

Still, Beca always went along with him, which didn’t say much about her intelligence, either.

When Tom gives her those big puppy dog eyes, Beca feels herself already start to give in. She sighs. “What do you need help with?”

Tom’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Okay so there’s this girl-”

Beca groans, already regretting her decision.

“Shut up. There’s this girl who lives on the first floor of your building named Chloe Beale. I’m in love with her and I need you to talk to her and find out what she likes.”

Beca rolls her eyes. “I’m almost positive you’re not in love with her.”

“I am!” Tom huffs, getting defensive. “We’re in Intro to Psychology together and she sits in the row in front of me. I’ve spent every day this semester just watching her because of how in love with her I am.”

Beca’s nose crinkles. “That’s creepy, dude. Also, why don’t you just talk to her yourself? You’ve never had any trouble getting girls to go out with you before.”

“I never have any problems getting girls when I just want to get laid,” Tom explains emphatically. “This girl… she’s special. I don’t want to mess this up.”

Beca softens at the sincerity in Tom’s tone. She sighs. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”

Tom leaps up from the table. “You’re the best! I’m gonna owe you after this one!”

“You already owe me for more things than I can count, so I’ll add it to your tab,” Beca deadpans, looking back at her computer screen.

Tom just chuckles and reaches out to ruffle her hair. Beca scowls and ducks her head away at the action, rolling her eyes grumpily as Tom offers his goodbyes and leaves as suddenly as he appeared.

* * *

The thing is, Beca doesn’t really like interacting with people when she has the option of _not_ interacting with people, so she instantly regrets agreeing to help Tom. But she already said she would, so Beca figures she can’t back out now without looking like a total dick.

Luckily Beca already knows who Chloe Beale is. Senior, lives with the (bitchy) RA Aubrey. Loves to sing in the shower despite the fact that they are communal. Super (overly) friendly to everyone she comes in contact with. Beca’s spoken to the girl a small handful of times, so she figures it won’t be too weird to find out stuff about her. She knows that Chloe hangs out in the common area on her floor most nights, so she decides that’s her best bet for ‘casually’ running into her.

Such is the case tonight, Beca discovers as she passes by the common room. A quick glance through the doorway reveals one Chloe Beale set up at one of the tables, laptop open in front of her with textbooks and notebooks spread haphazardly beside it. Her nose is scrunched up in concentration as she reads, and Beca spares a thought towards how she sees why Tom is into her before stepping into the room.

Chloe doesn’t look up when Beca enters, and Beca suddenly feels foolish for assuming that Chloe would be available to talk right now. She was very obviously busy with homework, tangled (annoying so) headphones in her ears and fingers typing away at the computer in front of her. Beca is about to turn around and leave the way she came, but she notices that the other table in the room is unoccupied. She hesitates for only a moment before making her way over to the empty table and throwing her bag down on top of it, getting settled.

It feels strange to Beca, hanging out somewhere other than her own room. It was halfway through the year and Beca had yet to go anywhere other than her room, her classes, the library, or the radio station where she worked. So it felt unusual for Beca to be pulling out her laptop and setting it up on the table in front of her, but she figured she could just suck it up and sit here this one time in order to help her friend out.

Tom _so_ owed her food after this.

Beca opts to ignore her homework for now (as per usual) and opens her laptop to her mixing program instead, slipping her headphones over hear ears as she does so, though she leaves one ear uncovered.

An hour passes by in silence, both Chloe and Beca engrossed in their work. They’re sitting facing each other from their separate tables, though Chloe doesn’t look at Beca once throughout the course of the hour, too focused on her homework. Beca, on the other hand, has been sneaking glances at Chloe every couple of minutes, trying to determine how busy she is and debating whether or not she should try talking to her.

In the end, it turns out that Beca doesn’t have to decide after all.

“Ugh, only a month into the semester and I’m already dying.”

Beca looks up at Chloe in surprise, not sure if she’s addressing her or not, but Chloe’s eyes are definitely locked on to Beca, one ear bud taken out of her ear.

“Yeah, same,” Beca replies awkwardly.

Chloe smiles. “Are you working on a paper, too?”

Beca glances down at the current mix she’s been working on for the past hour. “Yep.”

“Papers are the worst,” Chloe complains, nose wrinkling in distaste. “I mean, if I wanted to write two-thousand word papers, I would have become an English major!”

Beca jumps at the opening. “What’s your major?”

“Biology,” Chloe replies with a smile. “I want to get into vet school after I graduate.”

Beca resists the urge to write the fact down and starts taking mental notes instead. “Oh, that’s cool.”

Chloe only smiles again in response before looking back down at her screen, fingers clicking away at her keyboard again. Beca panics momentarily, not wanting the conversation to end just yet; she still needed more information for Tom.

“So, vet school?” Beca asks quickly before Chloe can put her headphones back in. Chloe looks up at her in surprise, though she doesn’t look bothered by Beca’s attempt at conversation. “You must like… animals.” Beca winces and curses herself for her terrible conversational skills.

Luckily, Chloe doesn’t seem to notice and she brightens up at the assumption. “Love them! As soon as I live somewhere that allows pets, the first thing I’m doing is getting a dog.”

Beca grins at the thought. “What kind?”

Chloe shrugs as her eyebrows draw together thoughtfully. “I guess I don’t care, really. I’ll just go to the shelter and whichever one I feel a connection with I’ll take home, you know?” Beca can’t help but laugh and she shakes her head, looking down momentarily. Chloe lifts an eyebrow and looks at Beca curiously. “What?”

“It’s nothing, I just,” Beca attempts to compose herself. “You just seem like the type of person to make decisions based on feelings like that. To feel connections that fast.”

“So you’re telling me you don’t think with your heart at all?” Chloe questions.

“I tend to overthink most things,” Beca replies simply.

Chloe hums in thought. “So you don’t believe in feeling natural connections with people?”

Beca shakes her head. “Not really. I think it’s possible to form those feelings after some time, but the whole ‘love at first sight’ thing has always seemed a bit unrealistic to me.”

“Maybe you just haven’t experienced it yourself,” Chloe challenges.

Beca quirks an eyebrow. “And you have?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Chloe confirms with a nod.

Beca grins a little, amused by Chloe’s sureness. “To each their own, then.”

Chloe smiles at that, teeth biting down slightly on her bottom lip before looking back down at her textbook and flipping a page. Beca resists the inexplicable urge to chuckle and looks at her own work, inspiration for beats and harmonies coming easy to her mind.

* * *

“Chloe Beale is a biology major, wants to get into vet school once she graduates. She hopes to find her dog soulmate someday and hates writing essays. Seems like your perfect girl, buddy.”

Beca relays this information to Tom as she plops down beside him at a table in the library. He looks up from his phone in surprise. “You talked to her?”

“Briefly, yes. I think that’s enough information for to go off of, yeah? Also, why are you here if you’re just playing on your phone?”

Tom scoffs, seemingly offended. “I’ll have you know, I am _studying,_ ” he claims, gesturing at the textbook laid out in front of him.

Beca raises an eyebrow unbelievingly, but chooses to drop it. “Right. So are we done here?”

She starts to stand, but is pulled quickly back into her seat with a tug on her arm. “No, that’s not enough information!” Tom tells her.

Beca rolls her eyes. “It’s enough for you to start a conversation, surely. Just ask her about animals, I’m sure things will happen naturally from there.”

“I need to know more,” Tom insists. He looks at Beca pleadingly. “Can you talk to her more? Just find out a little more about her?”

Beca looks at her friend warily.

Tom amps up his sad eyes. “I really don’t want to mess things up with her. Please, Beca? For me?”

Beca sighs. “I’ll see what else I can find out,” she relents.

A smile breaks out on Tom’s face. “YES,” he exclaims, receiving some dirty looks from nearby studiers as a result. Beca winces.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just keep it down, and try to get some actual studying done while you’re here,” Beca says, standing from the table. “And bring me some pizza when we hang out tonight. It’s the least you can do since I’m helping you get the girl.”

Tom salutes as she starts walking away. “Aye aye, cap’n grouchy.”

* * *

Beca doesn’t see Chloe again for another few days after that, but when she does it’s in the common area again, set up similarly as the first time at the same table. Chloe looks up at her entrance this time around, pulling her (still tangled) headphones out as she does so.

“Beca, hey,” Chloe greets with a smile.

Beca nods at her with a grin. “What’s up?” she asks, going for casual.

Chloe groans. “Just more homework, as usual. You?”

“Same,” Beca responds, having no plans of actually doing any homework at the moment. She gets to work setting up her laptop anyways, pulling up the file that contained the questions Tom wanted her to find out. She resists the urge to roll her eyes at the first question on the list. “Hey, what’s your favorite movie?”

Chloe chuckles. “That was random.”

Beca blushes. “Yeah, uh, some of my friends and I are planning a movie night and I’m getting ideas for what to watch.”

“Oh, neat!” Chloe says enthusiastically, and Beca mentally praises herself for being able to come up with that lie on the spot.

Chloe smiles at Beca for a moment, which starts making her feel a little weird, so Beca decides to prompt Chloe again. “So… favorite movie?”

“Oh, right!” Chloe laughs lightly before her expression becomes thoughtful. “Umm I’d have to go with _The Notebook._ ”

Beca nods her head. “Yeah, I’m not really surprised. You seem like the type to like that cheesy romance stuff.”

Chloe quirks an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Beca shrugs. “It’s not a bad thing, you just strike me as kind of a hopeless romantic. What with the whole believing in love at first sight and going with your feelings and such.”

“So you don’t believe in romance?” Chloe questions.

“I believe in romance,” Beca informs her. “I just… I don’t know. Something about those kinds of movies just seems really dressed up to me. Like without all the big gestures the two characters wouldn’t actually love each other.”

“You’ve obviously never had a big romantic gesture done for you, then,” Chloe muses, as if coming to some great conclusion.

Beca gets a little defensive. “And you have?” she retorts.

Chloe grins a little. “Maybe not anything as crazy as what you see in movies, but that doesn’t keep me from _wishing_ someone would sweep me off my feet like that.”

Beca scoffs. “I just think it’s pretty unrealistic, is all.”

“That’s the exciting part, though,” Chloe insists. They’re not fighting, and Chloe isn’t upset by Beca's stubbornness if the way she hasn’t stopped smiling is any indication of how she’s feeling. “The thought that someone would be so willing to do _anything_ to be with you that they do something a little out of this world?” Chloe sighs dreamily. “That’s what dreams are made of, Beca.”

“What’s your dream gesture, then?” Beca asks, not because it’s on the list, but because she’s genuinely curious.

“I want someone to kiss me in the rain like in _The Notebook,_ ” Chloe answers without hesitation. “And then I want us to go inside and have incredible sex all through the night.”

Beca’s nose wrinkles at the information, causing Chloe to laugh. “Dude, TMI.”

Chloe shrugs, unashamed. “You asked, and I answered honestly,” she replies innocently. “What about you? Any romantic gestures you want to live out someday?”

“Not really, no,” Beca says, shaking her head.

“So you’ve never thought about kissing someone in the rain or anything like that?”

Beca grimaces. “I just think kissing in the rain would be really cold and wet. Doesn’t really sound all that romantic to me.”

Chloe studies Beca thoughtfully for a moment, long enough that it makes Beca want to squirm under the scrutiny before she finally speaks again. “You and I are very different people, Beca Mitchell.”

Amusement fills Beca’s mind at the statement and she grins. “Indeed we are, Chloe Beale.”

“I like that,” Chloe says, smile growing to match Beca’s.

“Me, too,” Beca agrees. She glances down at the list of questions on her laptop. “Now, tell me, how do you feel about sushi?”

* * *

Hanging out in the common area becomes sort of a _thing_ for Beca and Chloe. It starts out with them just doing homework from their respectful tables, making occasional conversation every now and then, until eventually evolving to them actually hanging out as friends.

Although _friends_ was kind of a weird way to think of them, in Beca’s opinion, considering the fact that she would always describe in _painful detail_ everything they talked about to Tom afterwards. Still, Beca had to admit that she was actually starting to like Chloe, and not just because she was doing her friend a favor.

Eventually they become close enough that Tom starts pushing Beca to find out if she’s single or not. Beca tries denying his request at first (“Dude, have you even tried talking to her yet? I can’t do all the work here.” “I _did_ talk to her the other day. I asked her if I could borrow a pencil even though I already had one, just so I had an excuse to introduce myself.” “So you stole one of her pencils and didn’t say anything else? You’re hopeless. No wonder I have to do everything myself.”), but eventually ends up giving in (as always) and tells him she’ll broach the subject.

So Beca has somewhat of a hidden agenda tonight as she and Chloe watch _American Ninja Warrior_ on the couch in the common room. Beca is attempting to figure out how to naturally bring up the subject of dating when Chloe makes it easy for her.

“Are you single?”

The question pulls Beca out of her thoughts with a surprised jolt. “What?”

Chloe giggles. “You’re spacey tonight,” she teases with a poke to Beca’s shoulder. “Are you single? As in, are you dating anyone at the moment?”

Beca pretends to think about it for a moment, one eye squinted in thought. “Uh, I don’t think I’m seeing anyone at the moment, no,” she says, mock seriousness in her tone and face giving way to a grin a moment later.

Chloe smiles at Beca in return, biting at her bottom lip. “Do you like anyone, then?”

“No, not really,” Beca answers, and Chloe’s face seems to fall a little at that before she turns to face the TV again. Beca nudges her in the leg with her toe. “What about you? Are you single? Got your eye on someone?”

Chloe hums a little, her eyes still focused on the show. “Yes to being single, and-” Chloe glances slyly over at Beca- “Yes to having my eye on someone.”

The look that Chloe is giving her makes Beca confused for all of a moment before it’s gone, Chloe having turned to look ahead once again. Beca shakes her head a little, determined to complete her mission. “So, uh, who do you like? Would I know them?”

Chloe shrugs distractedly. “Probably not. They don’t like socializing very much; kind of keeps to themself.”

“I can respect that,” Beca muses, nodding her head a little. “Do you think anything will ever happen with this person?”

The TV is turned off right after the question is asked, Chloe setting down the remote a moment later. She turns to fully face Beca. “I don’t know, I’m still trying to figure that out,” she says, looking Beca up and down before standing from the couch and walking towards the door leading to the dorms. “I need to go help Aubrey study, I’ll talk to you later,” Chloe calls over her shoulder, and then she’s gone, leaving a very confused Beca behind.

Beca looks at the doorway even after Chloe is long gone from it before shaking her head a little to get her bearings. She pulls out her phone and opens up her text thread with Tom.

**Beca (8:34 p.m.)**

_she’s single, but you better make a move fast_

_before someone else does_

**Tom (8:35 p.m.)**

_sweet! you’re the best, dude_

Beca sighs and glances at the door one more time, still feeling weird about that whole interaction with Chloe.

**Beca (8:36 p.m.)**

_whatever. just make a move so I can be done with this_

* * *

“Do you want to go see a movie tomorrow?”

Chloe brightens at the question, a smile overtaking her face. “I’d love to! What movie?”

They’re hanging out in Chloe’s room today, which is luckily Aubrey-free at the moment. Chloe lays sprawled out on her stomach on the floor, a notepad in front of her as she doodles something that she won’t let Beca see. Beca has made herself at home on the bed, alternating between making Spotify playlists and texting Tom about Chloe.

“I don’t know yet. My friend Tom and I are going to see something and I figured I’d ask.”

“Oh, so the three of us?” Chloe asks, sounding off. Beca glances over at her, but Chloe's attention is focused on her drawing.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Beca says, trying to sound upbeat. In reality, she thinks it’s a terrible idea.

And since it’s a terrible idea, it’s of course one of _Tom’s_ terrible ideas. Beca still didn’t understand why he felt so nervous about the thought of going out with Chloe alone, especially since he knows essentially all there is to know about the girl at this point. She told Tom that she thought she’d only get in the way and feel like a third wheel, but he’d insisted upon her being there in case he needed any saving.

“I don’t know, I might have homework due tomorrow,” Chloe murmurs noncommittally.

Beca laughs, sitting up on the bed. “That’s bullshit and you know it,” she informs Chloe, causing a timid look to cross the girl’s face. “You never have stuff due on Saturdays. Come to the movie with me, it’ll be cool to do something other than hang out here.”

Chloe shoots a glance up at Beca, so Beca is quick to fix her words.

“Not that I don’t love hanging out here with you, but it’ll be a nice change of scenery.”

A quiet moment passes by in which Chloe contemplates Beca’s offer before a small smile forms on her lips. “Sure, I’ll come.”

“Awes,” Beca says excitedly, face wrinkling in disgust when she realizes what she just said. “I blame you for that, you know.”

Chloe laughs, and the sound brings a smile back to Beca’s face. “And I’m not sorry for it,” she says unashamedly. She tosses her notebook up to Beca on the bed. “This isn’t done but my hand hurts, so I’m going to say it’s done.”

Beca picks up the notebook and flips it around to look at it, her breath catching in her throat when she sees what Chloe has drawn. It’s her, spread out on the bed with her laptop balanced on her stomach, headphones over her ears and a small smile on her face. The position she’s in is the one she was in for the better part of an hour as she put together her playlists, though she had no idea that it was _her_ Chloe had been sketching this whole time.

She looks at Chloe, who’s still laying on her stomach on the floor, chin propped up in her hand as she carefully watches Beca for her reaction. “This is awesome, Chlo,” Beca tells her sincerely. “You really didn’t need to draw me, though.”

Chloe shrugs. “You should draw what inspires you, right?” she says simply.

And for some reason Beca feels her heart skip a beat in her chest.

* * *

Chloe meets up with Tom and Beca separately at the movie theater, and Beca spends the few minutes before she arrives giving Tom a mini pep-talk.

“You got this, dude. Honestly she’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. You can say anything and she’ll think it’s endearing.”

Tom looks at her uncertainly. “How do you know?”

Beca rolls her eyes. “Because she finds _me_ endearing, and I’m the biggest asshole I know.”

Tom nods his head. “You’re right. If you can talk to her, so can I.” His face pales the next moment as he looks out over the parking lot. “Oh shit, there she is.”

“You got this, big guy,” Beca tells him, patting him twice on back. “Just use that charm that girls seem to love about you.”

Chloe greets them with a bright smile. “Hey, Becs. Tom, right?” she asks, looking up at the man in question. "We have intro to psych together."

Tom looks absolutely delighted that Chloe remembers him and gives her a winning smile. Beca resists the urge to roll her eyes at how ridiculous he’s been for being nervous. “Right. And you’re Chloe, correct?”

There’s a twinkle in Chloe’s eye, most likely due to Tom’s natural charisma. “Correct,” she affirms, then looks over at Beca. “So, what are we seeing?”

They end up getting tickets for some romantic comedy that Beca’s never of heard before. She tells Chloe and Tom that she’ll get popcorn while they go and get seated in order to give Tom some time alone with Chloe, and Tom gives her an appreciative grin as the two of them walk away.

Beca takes her time getting the popcorn and making her way to the theater, wanting to give Tom and Chloe as much time as possible to get acquainted with one another. She climbs the steps to their seats just as the previews start playing, awkwardly shimmying her way past people until she plops down in the seat to the right of Chloe, Tom already situated on her left.

Chloe smiles at her when she arrives. “You’re my hero,” she says, reaching out to grab a handful of popcorn from the overflowing container.

Beca swats her hand away before she can take any more. “Hey, save it until the movie starts,” she chastises quietly. “At that rate it’ll gone before the previews are done.”

A giggle falls from Chloe’s lip and she acquiesces, leaning against the armrest separating them as she watches the trailers play out on the screen. Beca glances at Tom over the top of Chloe’s head, and he gives her a thumbs up to let her know things are going well. She nods at him in response.

The movie passes by just fine, nothing too terribly exciting about their viewing experience. Beca zones out for a good majority of the time, pretty bored with the film by the first few minutes, and only pays attention whenever Chloe leans over to whisper comments in her ear. Halfway through Beca decides to gift the popcorn to Tom, claiming she didn’t like the butter on it all that much, but mostly so that Chloe has a reason to lean over to him to snag pieces every once in a while.

The smile on Tom’s face whenever Chloe gets closer to him makes Beca roll her eyes in the relative darkness of the theater. He was _so_ easy to please.

When the movie ends, the three of them walk out of the theater together, Tom and Chloe chatting animatedly about it while Beca focuses on getting a popcorn kernel out of her teeth with her tongue. Chloe parts ways with them to go to her own car in the parking lot, giving Beca a hug and telling Tom that it was “nice to see him,” causing a goofy grin to appear on his face.

They watch Chloe walk away from the sidewalk in front of the theater for no apparent reason at all other than they can’t make themselves look away.

“She’s amazing,” Tom sighs dreamily from beside her.

“Yeah,” Beca murmurs, watching as Chloe turns around a little to wave shyly back at them one more time before getting in her car. “She really is.”

* * *

Chloe starts hanging out with both Beca and Tom periodically after that, though not as often as she does with just Beca. And that’s a good thing, Beca thinks, Chloe hanging out with Tom. That’s how this whole thing started, after all- Beca was trying to find a way to set Chloe up with Tom.

Mission Accomplished.

It was obvious that there was _something_ between Chloe and Tom. The combination of their natural flirtatious natures, charming conversational skills, and general good looks made for an easy friendship between the two of them, which often left Beca to sit quietly on her own in the corner while they chatted away.

Which Beca didn’t care about, really, because Beca _shouldn’t_ care about that.

Tom was getting the girl. It was all good.

Yet, Beca couldn’t help but feel… off, whenever she saw Chloe and Tom together. She feels _off_ watching Chloe tell Tom how impressive athleticism is. She feels _off_ watching Tom brush a stray eyelash from Chloe’s cheek with a kind smile. Something just feels _wrong_ about seeing them together.

Beca chalks it up to the fact that two of her worlds are colliding. Tom has been her friend since high school, and even though she always talked about Chloe with Tom before that day at the movies, Chloe had always felt very much like something special to just _her._ Tom had never had a real conversation with Chloe prior to Beca bringing them together. Tom didn’t know about Chloe’s affinity for falling asleep when she watched TV, even though she always _swears that she won’t this time, Beca._ Tom didn’t know that Chloe made the most adorable faces when she was concentrating on something. He didn’t know any of that, but Beca did.

It wasn’t jealousy. Beca had no problems with watching her two friends become friends. It was just… surreal.

Yeah, surreal. Surreal and _new_ , but there was nothing wrong with it.

Still, Beca was becoming more and more grateful for the nights that she and Chloe got to hang out without Tom, just the two of them.

Such is the case tonight.

Chloe and Beca are relaxed on the couch in the common room, Chloe’s legs draped over Beca’s lap as they watch some quirky sitcom that Chloe had insisted upon them watching. Beca really wasn’t all that invested, more interested in entertaining herself by lightly dragging her fingers up and down Chloe’s shins through the thin fabric of her leggings. Chloe doesn't seem to mind the movements.

It was peaceful. It was domestic. It was nice.

Beca feels eyes on the side of her face, so she glances up at Chloe to see that the other girl is watching her with a contemplative expression on her face. They lock eyes and Beca smiles softly. “What’s going through that head of yours?”

“Is anything going on between you and Tom?”

The question makes Beca snort, then choke, then cough in an attempt to breathe again. She laughs as soon as she’s able and looks at Chloe, expecting Chloe to be doing the same, but sees that same serious expression on her face. Beca clears her throat again and tampers down her amusement. “Tom and I? No, there’s definitely nothing going on there. We’ve just known each other forever so we’re super close,” Beca assures her. She pauses, warring with herself momentarily before adding, “He’s all yours, I promise.”

Chloe’s expression turns confused. “What do you mean he’s all mine?”

Beca shrugs and avoids eye contact, opting to fiddle with the rings on her fingers instead. “I’ve seen the way you guys act around each other. I can tell there’s something there.” Chloe says nothing in response to that, so Beca continues. “And you guys would be good together, I think. So I’m totally cool with it.”

“Um, I think we’re on different pages,” Chloe says with a breezy laugh. She moves her legs off of Beca’s lap, causing Beca to look at her again as she sits forward. “Beca, I don’t like Tom.”

Beca’s heart sinks, knowing that Tom will be heartbroken to hear that- if Beca decides to tell him at all. “Oh,” she says dumbly, eyebrows drawing together. “I guess I just thought-”

“I like _you_ , Beca.”

Shock fills Beca’s system and she recoils in on herself. “What?” she asks incredulously, voice coming out strained.

“I like you, Bec,” Chloe repeats, unashamed. “And based on all the signals you’ve been sending me, I kind of thought you liked me, too.”

Beca sputters as she tries to find her words. “What signals?”

Chloe shrugs, a light blush coloring her cheeks. “Just a lot of little things, I guess,” she says, tucking a chunk of red hair behind her ear. “Like… you always hold doors open for me whenever we go anywhere. You always let me choose what show we watch, no matter how trashy it is. You keep hanging out here with me, even though I know that you would rather go be alone in your own dorm.” Chloe looks at Beca timidly. “I just really thought you were making an effort to win me over or something.”

Beca stares dumbfounded at Chloe, at a loss for words. Because... she didn’t like Chloe. _Tom_ liked Chloe. Beca was just the messenger who was relaying information about Chloe to Tom so that _Tom_ got the girl, not Beca.

“Beca?” Chloe says softly, pulling Beca out of her mental panic. “Please say something.”

“I-” Beca starts to say, but cuts herself off with a shake of her head. “No, this is all wrong… Tom is in _love_ with you, Chloe. _He’s_ the one you’re supposed to fall for, not me.”

“Well, I don’t like Tom like that,” Chloe tells Beca matter-of-factly. “It’s always been you for me, Beca. Ever since that first time we did homework together I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you.”

Beca shakes her head again and she stands up from the couch. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t feel the same way, Chloe,” she says gently, and curses herself whenever she sees tears start filling Chloe’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” Beca whispers once more before turning away from Chloe’s heartbroken expression and walking out the door.

The sound of Chloe’s crying reaches her ears before she even makes it out of the room.

* * *

Beca’s knock on Tom’s dorm room door the next day is hesitant, juxtaposed by Tom’s enthusiasm when he opens the door to greet her.

“Hey, dude! What’s up? I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

He opens the door wider for Beca to step into the room, which Beca does, avoiding his gaze as she walks past him. “Um, yeah, I know we didn’t have any plans. I just… I have a Chloe update.”

Beca had debated with herself for hours about whether or not to tell Tom that Chloe didn’t like him, but ultimately decided that he had a right to know; better to get the heartbreak over with sooner than later, and all that. Plus, she knows that he would do the same for her.

“Nice,” Tom says with a grin. He looks at her expectantly. “Hit me with it.”

“So, you came up in conversation yesterday-” Tom’s smile grows wider at that, which Beca tries to ignore- “and she told me that she… doesn’t like you. As more than a friend.”

The surprise is evident on Tom’s face as soon as the words leave Beca’s mouth. “She doesn’t?”

Beca shakes her head sadly. “I’m really sorry, Tom,” she tells him sincerely.

Tom sits down hard on the bed, staring blankly at the floor. “Did she tell you why? Is there someone else?”

He looks up at Beca then, and right then Beca wishes she had a better poker face.

“So there _is_ someone else,” Tom concludes after analyzing Beca’s expression. “Who is it?”

Beca sighs and sits cautiously on the bed, wringing her hands together in her lap. “Do you really wanna know? It might just hurt more if you know who it is.”

Tom doesn’t say anything for a long minute, so Beca looks up at him, only to see that a stony expression has crossed his face. “It’s you,” he says darkly, as if the realization doesn’t even surprise him.

The blood in Beca’s veins turns ice cold, and she knows that she should deny it. She should tell him that no, Chloe just likes some random guy in her math class or from the dorm, but when she opens her mouth to do so she finds that she can’t lie to Tom. She _shouldn’t_ lie to Tom.

Still, Beca can’t make herself say the words, so she looks away from Tom’s piercing gaze and nods slowly.

Tom releases the breath he’s been holding in a puff of air, dropping his head into his hands. “And... and do you like-”

“No, of course not,” Beca rushes out before he can finish the question. “I told her I didn’t feel the same way. I wouldn’t do that to you.” Tom turns his head to look at her again, and Beca’s heart clenches at how miserable he looks. Beca stays quiet as he thinks, nervous about the way he doesn’t look like he quite believes her. “Tom, I-” she starts to say, but he shakes his head to cut her off.

“Get out,” he says softly. Beca freezes at the words.

“Tom, I’m sorry,” she tries.

“Get the fuck out!” Tom roars, and that gets Beca up and moving quickly off the bed. She spares one last glance at Tom’s simultaneously crestfallen and angry expression before opening the door and leaving before she can hear Tom crying, too.

And Beca thinks that she might hate herself, a little bit. She hates herself for this mess that she unwittingly made.

* * *

Beca’s never minded alone time. She’s been fairly introverted for all her life, so peace and quiet has always been a blessing to her whenever she’s lucky enough to find a moment of reprieve from the rest of the world.

Still, alone time feels different when you have it for a week without interruption. Alone time feels more like a curse than a blessing when the two most important people in your life make it a point to avoid you.

It’s pretty easy for Tom to avoid Beca, as it turns out. They don’t live in the same building or have any classes together, so it really was simple for him to ignore her texts and calls without any possibility of running into her anywhere.

Chloe, on the other hand, was a different story.

It was decidedly much harder for Chloe to completely avoid Beca, seeing as they lived in the same building and all. Beca notices a distinct lack of Chloe in the common area, which is extremely out of character for the senior. Still, even with Chloe doing her best to avoid Beca’s texts and general presence, Beca still sees her twice throughout the course of the week. Both times are in the hallways of their building, and both times Chloe has stopped in her tracks and turned around upon seeing Beca.

Both times Beca’s heart had clenched painfully as she watched Chloe turn away from her.

It was surprising to Beca, how much she missed Chloe. Chloe was never someone that she expected to become close with, but over the last few month of knowing her she had quickly become one of her best friends. There was something about her that made Beca feel like she could tell her anything; all her regrets, dreams, and secrets manifesting themselves over countless late night chats or drunken nights spent watching reality television.

And that was slightly terrifying to Beca, knowing that she had given so much of herself to Chloe, only to lose her in the end.

Beca is preparing for another night in by herself, sat up at her desk and trying to think of less depressing songs to use for mixes when she hears her phone vibrate on the hard wood surface next to her. Her heart leaps to her throat, hoping against all odds that it’s a text from Chloe, and she immediately swipes at her screen to see the notification.

**Tom (7:21 p.m.)**

_come to my place. bring pizza_

Beca feels disappointed that it's not Chloe for a split second, then gets mad at herself for being disappointed before quickly typing out a response and grabbing her keys and wallet.

If Tom was giving her a chance, she wasn’t going to waste it.

* * *

Beca shakes the rainwater off her jacket before knocking softly twice on Tom’s door, feeling weird for being so timid. She was _never_ timid with Tom, not in the four years they’ve known each other. When Tom opens the door with an equally shy smile, Beca figures it’s alright since they’re feeling at least somewhat on the same page.

They eat their pizza in relative silence, both unsure what exactly needs to be said first. The only noise filling the air is the rain coming down outside, creating a nice background track to accompany the incredibly awkward atmosphere in the small dorm. Beca is prepared to wait all night for Tom to make the first move, so it comes as a relief when he clears his throat in preparation to speak.

“So I’ve been thinking-” Beca literally has to bite her tongue to hold back the _shocker_ that’s comes to her mind naturally-“and I realized that you really didn’t do anything wrong here. I mean, it’s not like you _tried_ to get Chloe to fall for you, right?”

Beca shakes her head quickly. "Of course I didn’t. I wouldn’t do that to you,” she tells him earnestly.

Tom bobs his head up and down a couple times, apparently satisfied with Beca’s confirmation. He cracks a grin and glances at Beca with a twinkle in his eye. “I guess I never stood a chance against a stud like you, huh?”

Beca scoffs at the implication that she could be charming in any way. “As if.”

A light chuckle comes from Tom in response, and Beca smiles at the sound as she feels the tension in the room dissipate. They eat in silence again for a couple minutes before Tom speaks up once again with a mouth full of pizza. “You know, I don’t think I was ever actually in love with her after all.”

“Really?” Beca asks, surprised. “You seemed so sure that she was _the one,_ though.”

Tom laughs again, though this time it’s laced with a bit of sadness. “Yeah, well, I think I was probably over-romanticizing her. I made her out to be this perfect girl in my head, and you were only telling me the good parts about her that I wanted to hear. I feel like you can’t _truly_ love someone unless you know and love all their flaws, too.”

Beca stares at Tom in shock. “I think that is the most intelligent thing you’ve ever said, my friend.”

“A week away from your best friend all alone with your thoughts will do that to you, I think,” Tom jokes, though his words have an undercurrent of apology to them. Beca chooses to acknowledge them with a small smile instead of words, not wanting to bring the mood down again by making them apologize to each other.

They were always better with actions than words, anyways, and Tom seems to understand exactly what Beca means with her smile.

“So, out of curiosity,” Tom starts slowly. “What are some flaws that you noticed about Chloe? Like, what are some of the things that she did that bugged you.” At Beca’s confused look, Tom elaborates further. “If I just lost my chance with this girl, I want to feel less like I just lost some perfect entity and more like I lost some regular person.”

Beca rolls her eyes. “Weirdo,” she mutters playfully before thinking about the question. She chews her pizza thoughtfully, swallowing before speaking. “Um, well to start off, I guess she always… she never untangled her headphones? Like, when she listened to music she didn’t bother to get out all the loops first and it always drove me up the wall. Completely infuriating.”

Tom barks out a laugh. “Yeah, you _would_ hate that, you nerd.”

“Shut up, you asked,” Beca admonishes him teasingly. “What else? She has really terrible taste in TV shows. And she always says she’ll stay awake during them, yet she _always_ falls asleep no matter what she says. Most of the time she’d fall asleep with her head on my shoulder, so I couldn’t even move to get the remote and change whatever shitty show was on.” Although Beca is including this as one of Chloe’s flaws, she can’t help the tender smile that creeps on her face from the countless memories of Beca struggling not to move as Chloe slept against her, not wanting to wake her up.

Tom watches Beca carefully as she speaks, though he makes no comments.

“She has no sense of boundaries- physically or conversationally. She feels super comfortable talking about literally anything with anyone, and when she wants a hug she _will_ hug you.” Beca laughs and rolls her eyes fondly, setting her pizza down in the box and brushing hands together to get rid of the crumbs. “If I had a nickel for every sex story I had to sit through or forced hug I had to endure I could quit my job at the radio station.” She pauses momentarily, pondering over what she should say next before continuing with a little more wistfulness to her voice.

“She cares so much about the little things that no would else would even think about- too much, probably. If I was having a bad day she could always tell, and somehow she always got me to talk about it. But she never forced it out of me. There was just… there’s something about her that makes you feel like you can tell her anything, you know? Like, you could be the worst person in the world, but she would only care about the good parts of you.”

Beca tears her eyes away from where they’d been staring blankly at the floor and looks up at Tom. There’s a mischievous look in his eyes – a knowing look – that Beca doesn’t like one bit.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she tells him firmly. “You’re creeping me out.”

“Tell me again how you’re not in love with Chloe?”

Beca flinches back at his words, completely caught off guard. “You think I’m- I’m not- you don’t even-” She splutters, unable to form a coherent response.

“You’ve always been really terrible at reading your own emotions, you know,” Tom tells her as Beca continues to struggle. “But I can read you like a book, Beca Mitchell, and right now that book is screaming about how in love you are – _truly_ in love, none of that lame attraction bullshit that I claimed was love.”

Beca is about to deny him again, but she takes a moment to think through his words. She thinks about how excited she gets whenever she sees Chloe, thinks about how Chloe always makes her days better, thinks about how goddamn _happy_ she is whenever she’s around Chloe, and decides that maybe Tom is right.

Maybe she is in love with Chloe.

And the longer she thinks about it, the more she’s sure there’s no ‘maybe’ about it.

She looks up at Tom with wide eyes. “I’m in love with Chloe,” she says.

“You’re in love with Chloe,” Tom affirms.

Guilt floods Beca. “I’m so sorry, Tom. I- I had no idea, I swear.”

Tom grins, not a hint of bitterness in his eyes. “I know you didn’t, you dumb dork. Now, are you going to go get the girl right now or what?”

Beca her eyebrows in confusion. “Really? Right now?”

“A wise grumpy person once told me to make my move fast before someone else did,” Tom says innocently, and Beca narrows her eyes when she realizes that he’s talking about _her._ Tom looks into her eyes seriously, all joking aside. “I think you should take your own advice, Beca.”

And just like that, it’s as if a jolt of electricity shoots through Beca, forcing her up off the bed. She shoves her shoes into her boots as quick as she can, not even bothering to grab the rest of her things before rushing to the door. Beca throws the door open, but takes a second to pause and turn around to look at Tom again. “Thank you,” she tells him sincerely.

Tom shrugs with a smile. “Maybe you can owe me after this one,” is his cheeky response.

Beca just laughs before stepping out of the room, and then she’s rushing down the hall and into the rain to go find Chloe.

* * *

The rain keeps pouring down on Beca as she arrives at her dorm building, causing Beca’s clothes to stick to her. She rushes to the door, already reaching for her wallet to retrieve her key card before realizing that she’d left all her things at Tom’s place in her haste to reach Chloe.

Beca swears under her breath and looks through the windows of the building, praying that someone will be hanging out in the common area, and curses again when she sees no one. Forcing herself to remain calm, Beca starts thinking through her options while pacing in front of the building. An idea comes to her – a terrible idea, really – and Beca goes with it right away, too caught up in the cold of the rain and her own emotions to properly think things through.

The pebbles that Beca chooses to throw at Chloe’s bedroom window are luckily small enough to _not_ break the glass and make Beca pay a damage fee, but they’re also big enough that they do their job effectively. Chloe pulls back her curtains after only a few tosses, her confused face appearing through the window and causing Beca’s pathetic heart to jump in her chest.

Chloe just scowls at Beca before shutting the curtains again, causing Beca’s heart to sink.

Except, Chloe appears again a moment later at the front door of the building, and Beca feels her heart soar all over again.

“Are you insane?” Chloe asks Beca incredulously, loud enough to be heard over the sound of the rain.

“Knowing you has been the longest few months of my life,” Beca tells her in response. Chloe looks taken aback, surprise and slight offense in her features obvious from her place in the doorway.

“Excuse me?” Chloe questions, affronted.

“I don’t know why we get along,” Beca continues, unperturbed. “We’re completely different. I hate how you never untangle your headphone wires properly before listening to music, and you get bugged whenever I make fun of the shows you watch. You’re open and caring and kind, and I’m a closed off bitch who’s too afraid to tell you what I want.”

Chloe just stares at Beca as she goes off, looking more and more shocked by each word that comes out of Beca’s mouth.

Beca pushes forward with her thoughts, unable to stop them now that they’re all rushing out. “Because yeah, the past few months since we’ve started hanging out have been _long,_ but they’ve also been the best months of my life.” Beca laughs, probably a little deliriously, and covers her face for a second to gather her thoughts. “And _god,_ Chloe, I must have lost my _damn mind_ when I left you all alone and never told you why because I _love_ you!”

Chloe’s breath definitely hitches at Beca’s admission, and Beca feels a huge weight being lifted off her chest at the words.

“You love me?” Chloe asks quietly. “But- but I thought you didn’t feel that way about me.”

Beca shakes her head quickly to dismiss the thought. “No, I was just scared before. I was scared and now I know without a doubt that I want you. I want you for worse or for better, Chlo, and I know that I broke your heart when I told you otherwise, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to put it back together,” Beca laughs again, gesturing around her. “I mean, I’m standing out in the fucking rain confessing my love to you like we’re in some shitty movie. That’s how much I’m willing to fight for you.”

Chloe laughs at that, albeit a bit watery. Beca smiles at the sound and grows a little more serious. “I would honestly wait for you forever and ever. I’ve spent so much time trying to help Tom get the girl but… I think I kinda want the girl for myself, if that’s alright with you.”

There are tears streaming down Chloe’s face by the time Beca is finished speaking, and Beca is about to apologize and crawl her way back to Tom’s place in defeat when Chloe speaks.

“You really love me?” Chloe asks timidly.

Beca nods her head earnestly. “I really love you,” she confirms.

The next thing Beca knows, Chloe is rushing out to join her in the rain and kissing her like her life depends on it. Chloe’s hands come up to cup Beca’s cheeks while Beca’s arms wrap around Chloe’s back as they kiss, the rain coming down around them making their actions slippery. Beca resists the urge to laugh at how ridiculously cheesy the whole scene turned out to be, but she decides that she can’t really mind, not when Chloe is kissing her passionately enough to take her breath away.

Chloe breaks the kiss and leans her forehead against Beca’s, both of them panting in an effort to steady their breathing. “I love you, too,” Chloe breathes, and relief floods Beca’s entire body at the words. She laughs and can’t help but press a few more brief kisses to Chloe’s smiling lips.

Beca revels in the feeling of being so close to Chloe until Chloe backs away, glancing up at the sky with an adorably wrinkled nose before pulling Beca inside the building by the hand, the two of them laughing the whole way.

“So you got the girl,” Chloe tells Beca coyly once they’re inside, eyebrow raised in challenge. “What are you going to do with her?”

And Beca can’t help but grin at just how pathetically cheesy this all is, and how stupidly _in love_ she is before pulling Chloe down the hall to her room, ready to show Chloe exactly what she intends to do with her girl.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr at becasbelt! Thanks for reading :)


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